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Welcome to the Tesla Model X. This is, without a doubt, the most advanced SUV on the road today.
It's a glimpse into the future of motoring, a technology showcase A performance powerhouse.
It's faster to 60 than a Ferrari Enzo, yet smart enough to drive itself.
It's a pretty incredible car, but it's not a perfect one.
To explain the Model X, we need to go back a few years to the Model S. That car, simple, clean, and handsome line hid in entirely new architecture.
An all new electric platform that would not only serve as the foundation for that car But ultimately for the entire company.
Model S had its battery built into the floor, electric motors nestled in the front and back between the wheels, and a respectable looking cabin sitting on top.
That car, Tesla's first production car, had no right to be any good at all.
But it was.
It was a fantastic car, and it still is.
That the Model X inherits much of that architecture means that this new SUV Is off to a very good start.
So it's the same basic platform, battery pack situated down low in the car, the 75 or 90 kilowatt hours.
And since all Model SX SUVs have all wheel drive, they've got both a motor in the front and the rear.
Giving you a combined 762 horsepower in this P90D here.
That's enough to get this car from 0 to 60 in just 3.2 seconds, that is if you spend the extra $10,000 for Ludicrous mode.
But even if you don't, it'll still get to 60 in 3.8 seconds Just faster than a Bentley Bentayga, and just about any other SUV on the road.
Sitting on top is a shape that's familiar and clearly based on the model S but obviously a little bit taller and in opinion, a little less attractive.
Okay, it's far from ugly, but the model S is already a little bulbous in certain areas, and the Model X, well, just makes that worse.
But it does have one signature design element.
Is unlike any other car on the road today.
If you're wondering why the model X isn't perfect, here's your answer.
It's said that most personally required the Falcon wing doors despite the insistence of many engineers that they would never work.
Well they do work, but slowly.
Dropping your kids off at school in this will surely increase their cool factor by a huge margin, but you also increase risking their tardiness factor by a similar amount.
Or if you're in a habit of tossing your briefcase or jacket in the backseat of your car before driving away.
Owning a model X will break that habit pretty quickly.
The [UNKNOWN] doors do make an incredible statement but I shutter to think about the complex mechanical required to achieve such a feet.
As you can see getting out of the car in a garage can be a bit of a challenge to do gracefully.
Or indeed at all.
Once the doors are finally closed, there's no key to turn or ignition button to press.
You just put the car in D and away you go.
And pulling away in the model X is unlike just about any other car in the world, probably thanks to the visibility You've got this huge windscreen which extends up over your head and that plus the elevated seating position and the complete lack of noise means that driving this thing feels a lot like you're flying down the road and that's helped by the performance of the thing.
You really can go any speed you want.
At any time you want, just with the slightest adjustment of your right foot, the throttle response is instantaneous.
It's unlike any other car on the road, except for the Model X of course.
And the Model X handles really well, too.
Of course, you've got all that weight down low from the battery pack built into the floor.
And that definitely helps, but the suspension is very well tuned.
It.
It handles quite nicely over bumps.
It's very smooth and quiet on smooth roads.
But it does handle the twisties pretty well.
It's a car you can definitely have some fun in, or you can lay back and relax a little bit and just enjoy the ride.
In terms of interior technology, it's largely the same story here as in the model S, including the 17 inch vertically oriented display that can act the giant navigation system or be split with a lot of other features.
Sadly neither Android Auto nor Car Play are offered here.
That's not the biggest piece of technology in the car.
That is a feature that Tessa calls auto pilot.
With two pulls of the cruise control stock the car takes over.
It will speed up, it will slow down, it will adjust for traffic, Actually really, really good.
It's so good that you can actually take your hands off the wheel.
The car will drive itself, but you really shouldn't do that.
This is not a fully autonomous car and it's not smart enough to handle every situation that you will see out on the road.
It will take care of itself by and large and that doesn't make the driving Experience a lot more relaxing, especially if you're stuck in traffic.
But you still do need to pay attention, just in case something unexpected happens.
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Auto-pilot even works when you're outside of the car.
You can get out and let the car pull itself into a garage or parking space, or summon it to come back out again.
It'll even open and close the doors automatically.
It's a neat trick.
But I have to wonder, who would rather stand out in the rain and wait instead of just going into the garage?
To me, modern luxury isn't about things like unicorn hide interiors or headlight reflectors heated from crystal.
It's more about increasing convenience and decreasing stress and that the [UNKNOWN] Come to you on command or drive itself down the road.
Those things do a lot to make this in some ways the ultimate luxury car.
And though the interior isn't quite as nice as you'd get from a Mercedes Benz or a BMW, that stunning windshield and glass ceiling means you can spend more time looking at the world around you.
Rather than staring at headliners and bits of trim.
But the Model X is not without it's problems, and chief among them are those two gull wing doors.
Yes, they do make a hell of a first impression, but they're more of an annoyance than anything.
And down the road, I think they're gonna be a liability.
You know in the 90s, we'd see sports cars driving around with one pop up headlight stuck, so they were winking at you all the time?
I think in the 20s we're going to see a lot of Model X's with broken wings driving around.
And for that reason, for a couple of other things I think that this probably isn't a day to day driver for everybody.
But as a modern showcase of all the technology that the Auto Automotive industry has to offer right now, the Model X is one hell of an achievement.
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